Physical inactivity and obesity currently costs the UK economy £27bn per year. A new social enterprise that aims to eradicate that cost is free2cycle, with a scheme that enables you to ‘earn a bike by riding it’. Free2cycle works in partnership with

sponsor organisations, who agree to fund the mileage-based payment of cyclists from any group of individuals who sign up to free2cycle that they have chosen to support. A sponsor organisation could be, for example, a place of work sponsoring its employees to cycle to work, but can extend beyond the workplace to other individuals interested in the scheme. Sponsors contribute 20p plus VAT per mile. As long as the cyclist meets their mileage commitment there will be no charge to them however if the cyclist doesn’t fulfill their mileage commitment, they&#39;re responsible for the shortfall. The scheme is app-based, recording

users’ mileage and the positive impact the rider has on the environment, with the app calculating how much carbon has been offset against each mile pedalled, via reduced car and public transport journeys. Eric Craig, CEO of free2cycle, believes that

Swindon indoor snow centre goes in for planning

FaulknerBrowns Architects has submitted an application for planning permission to Swindon Borough Council on behalf of Seven Capital for a major new indoor snow centre and leisure destination in Swindon. The Swindon site will not only include a

2,000sq m snow centre featuring two real-snow slopes, but also the UK’s largest IMAX screen; a bowling alley; an indoor trampolining centre and a 130-room hotel. There will also feature a number of shops, bars and restaurants. The scheme will form part of a complete

regeneration of the former industrial land to the north of Swindon town centre known as

the North Star site. This land was previously occupied by the Great Western Railway Works, prior to its demolition in 2009 to make way for redevelopment. With this in mind, the project will be

influenced by the history of the site, with the building’s elevational design drawing on railway architecture, including a sweeping roof structure that bears similarities with curved Victorian railway stations, such as Bristol Temple Meads. If approved, the scheme will become the

architects’ fifth indoor snow complex and only the seventh in the UK.

the benefits of his start-up not only include healthier citizens and an improved environment due to reduced use of cars, but also savings on commuting costs of around £150 per month. Craig argues that a company will also have a happier, more productive workforce by sponsoring them to cycle to work every day because of the psychological and physical advantages of the exercise, going on to calculate that a sponsors’ investment typically provides a return of around 10 to 1.